Welcome to the great compilation thread of XV8 Crisis suit naming, classification, nomenclature and denominations! With the recent confirmation that our suits CAN take two weapons at a time, I thought it best to gather up all the information we have on suit names along with my own proposition for naming. So without further ado, let us begin:

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[1] Weapon Hardpoint Introduction:

There are seven distinctive weapons which XV8 Crisis suits are named after. Two of them are special issue/experimental weapons and so can only be taken once (and not twin-linked). The others can be taken as many times wanted; bearing in mind only two weapons can fire per turn and the average XV8 has a maximum capacity of three weapons. Here is the list:

The first word is the name that the weapon corresponds to for mixed weapon suits, and XV8s that only possess one weapon. The second word is the name that the weapon corresponds to if the weapon is the only type possessed and either twin-linked, doubled or a mixture of the two. The number at the end is the weapon’s strength value and this is used to denote when the weapon is twin-linked or doubled.

[2] Mixed Weapon Hardpoints:

Much of the time, two different weapons will be taken together. Naming one of these XV8s is easy. The list in section [1] is in order. So, if you were to have a Crisis Suit with a Missile Pod and a Burst Cannon, the Pod is above the Cannon. As such, the name would be ‘Firestorm’. However, if you were to switch the Burst Cannon out for a Flamer, then the order would change, making the name ‘Soulfire’.

If twin-Linking a particular weapon, then add ‘-#’ after the name, with # being the number next to the weapon you want twin-linked. For example, a ‘Fireknife’ with a twin-linked Plasma Rifle would be ‘Fireknife-6’. If a Shas’o wanted to twin-link both weapons, then the number after the name would simply use both numbers, as in ‘Fireknife-67’, with the smallest number first.

If you choose to take two of a particular kind of weapon for the XV8, then simply add a ‘D’ before that particular number to identify that it’s been doubled. For instance, a ‘Soulforge’ with two Fusion Blasters would be ‘Soulforge-D8’. If a Shas’o wanted two of each weapons then the name would use both numbers with a ‘D’ before them both, as in ‘Soulforge-D48’, with the smallest number first. If the Shas’o decided to twin-link the Fusion Blaster instead, then the ‘8’ would appear before the ‘D’, leading to 'Soulforge-8D4'

For various configurations, there are different names to those provided from the list of words in section [1]. For all of these names, the last one is the most popularly used but it mainly comes down to personal preference. Forgeknife/Helios: Fusion Blaster + Plasma RifleIonknife/Centurion/Aurora: Cyclic Ion Blaster + Plasma RifleBladestorm/Blinding Spear: Plasma Rifle + Burst CannonSoulfire/Soul Cleanse: Flamer + Missile PodStormforge/Sunstorm: Burst Cannon + Fusion BlasterHailstorm/Thunderstorm: Airbursting Fragmentation Projector + Burst Cannon

Circles of Fio Caste on various Septs often have other names for their configurations that are not known to the rest of the Empire. If your gaming group has a preferred name for a load out, then simply use that instead. If online however, use these names. This shows the Earth Caste going to a convention and needing to relay his latest modifications to the representatives from other remote Septs.

[3] Single-Type Weapon Hardpoints:

If the XV8 only has a single weapon, then it uses the first word from section [1] for the corresponding weapon, with the word ‘-suit’ at the end. For example, an XV8 with a single Fusion Blaster would be a ‘Forgesuit’, whilst an XV8 with a single Flamer would be a ‘Soulsuit’.

There are also Crisis suits that only equip one type of weapon, but take multiples of this weapon, twin-linked, doubled or both in combination. These XV8s use the second word from section [1] to signify a battlesuit with a single type of weapon that’s twin-linked. To apply further distinction, add the weapon's number '-#' to the end of the name to signify that the weapon is indeed twin-linked, such as 'Cloudburst-5' or 'Sunforge-8'

If you decide to take two of the same weapon (rather than twin-link as above), then simply add a ‘-D’ to the end of the name instead of the number, such as ‘Deathrain-D’. If you want to take two weapons AND twin-link one of them, then add a the weapon number at the end, such as ‘Deathrain-D7’ for example. If a Shas’o wants to take two of the same weapon AND twin-link both of them, then just add a ‘-X’ to the end of the name, like ‘Deathrain-X’.

[4] Other Weapon Variations:

Most three weapon configurations have gone un-named as they were usually unpopular before multi-trackers became standard. Naming is at the owner’s discretion except for one particular setup below:Sunfire: Plasma Rifle + Missile Pod + Fusion Blaster

The best suggestion is to use the names from section [1] in the order given. For example, an XV8 with a Flamer, Burst Cannon and Missile Pod would be called a 'Soulfirestorm', whereupon any twin-linking can be shown by apply the weapon number to the end '-#', such as 'Soulfirestorm-5' if the Burst Cannon was twin-linked. Four weapons are also possible on a Shas’o. As before, this is mostly down to the user to find an interesting name to befit the unique loadout.

It is possible to have no weapons at all on an XV8. In this scenario, the battlesuit is called a 'Supportsuit', although some Fio caste in the Coreward Marches call it a 'Commsuit'. A particular loadout where a Shas'vre possesses both a Multi-Spectrum Sensor Suite and a Command and Control Node, is called a 'Raven'. A Shas'o with both a Multi-Spectrum Sensor Suite and a Command and Control Node, is instead called a 'Kingfisher'.

[5] XV8 Teams:

Naturally, not even Crisis suit is going to be a 'Monat' (the Tau for a single suit on it's own). Chances are that you'll have a team of two or three working together, and whilst these names above are for individual suits, it can get confusing if trying to describe an entire team. To straightforwardly name a team, you can follow these simple guidelines:- If a team is entirely comprised of the same suit, then call the team by that suit. For example, a team of three Fireknife-D6s would simply be called a 'Fireknife-D6' team.- If a team has varying combinations of twin-linked and double weapons, then it uses the standard name. For example, a doubled up team of a Helios-8 and a Helios-6 would simply be a 'Helios' team.- If a team is comprised of different weapons on each, then use the mixed name for the team with all of their weapons. For example, a team consisting of a Sunforge-8, a Burning Eye-D and a Deathrain-D7 would be called a 'Sunfire' team.

Most XV8 Teams use customised team names however, denoting the fact that they are a unique team and often contain specialised members with rare pieces of gear. For instance, the Fireknife-D6 team above, after many successes against the Tyranid horde, could be called a unique name like 'Bug Hunter' [Mal'kau] by it's Shas'o.

[6] Examples:

There are hundreds of builds for Crisis suits out there, and new ones are being made up every day. Below are just a slice of this, whilst also providing examples on how to use this guide.Helios: Plasma Rifle + Fusion Blaster. This enables the Crisis suit to engage both heavily armoured infantry and heavy armour quite effectively.Thunderstorm-5: Airbusting Fragmentation Projection + Twin-linked Burst Cannon. The ultimate combination in dealing with numerous weakly armoured enemies.Soulknife-D6: Two Plasma Rifles + Flamer. Whilst rapid fire range is needed to be optimal, the Flamer provides a deterrent to being charged.Soulsuit: Flamer. The Wall of Flame rule means that the Flamer is a useful anti-charging weapon with the other hard-points freed for support systems.Burning-Eye-6: Twin-linked Plasma Rifle. This Crisis suit is dedicated to making it's armour penetrating shots hit, assisting it's mediocre BS3.Deathrain-D: Two Missile Pods. The manoeuvrability of an XV8 and the long range of it's Pods ensures that few targets will be out of reach.Sunforge-D8: Fusion Blaster + Twin-linked Fusion Blaster. Two melta shots against tanks are quite popular, the twin-link adding extra assurance.

Below we have a few Shas'o XV8 names, who are special in that they have the capacity for four weapons. Naming is slightly more complicated, but is befitting of their rare and unique natures.Fireforge-8D7: Two Missile Pods + Twin-linked Fusion Blaster. A build that ensures a melta hit on a vehicle, when it gets close enough.Fireforge-D78: Two Missile Pods + Two Fusion Blasters. A more versatile build that can switch between ranges as is required of it.Fireforge-78: Twin-linked Missile Pods + Twin-linked Fusion Blasters. An accurate build that is centered around making the rounds hit.Cloudburst-X: Two Twin-linked Burst Cannons. A strong build that puts out an astonishing eight twin-linked shots, usually at BS5.

Of course, these are just examples. It's up to you, Shas'o, to find the best load-out that suits your playstyle. And when you do, I hope that you can find a name befitting for their excellence.For the Greater Good!

Thanks to Straylight and Iceplague for giving the main ideas behind the Tau names.Thanks to O'Noes for giving the 'Kingfisher' load-out name.And a final thanks to the rest of the community for their assistance and support.

Last edited by Harlequin2 on May 28 2013 07:14, edited 35 times in total.